1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of Related Arts
In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, printer, or facsimile machine, a toner image transferred onto printing paper is fixed under heat and pressure while the paper is passing through a fixing member. The paper on which the image is fixed then leaves the fixing member and is discharged to the outside of the image forming apparatus.
When the toner image transferred on the printing paper is heated and pressed, it occurs sometime that the toner melts to cause the paper to stick to the fixing member. In particular, it becomes more difficult to separate the paper from the fixing member when the paper is thin or when a large amount of toner is used. In order to prevent the sheet from sticking to the fixing member, an image forming apparatus typically has a paper separating means for separating the printing paper from the fixing member. For example, Japanese Unexamined Publication No. 2007-94327 discloses a means of blowing hot air between the printing paper and the fixing member as a paper separation means.
However, the image forming apparatus according to Japanese Unexamined Publication No. 2007-94327 may increase the air pressure of the space between the printing paper, the fixing member, and the paper separation means as the air is blown into all over the space between the printing paper and the fixing apparatus by the paper separation means and the air reflecting from the paper or the fixing member leaves no way for the air to escape. As a result, the velocity of the blown into the space between the printing paper and the fixing member by the paper separation means may drop, causing the printing paper not properly separating from the fixing member. On the other hand, if the air amount is increased in order to sustain the velocity of the air blown into, the heat in the air may adversely affect other components of the image forming apparatus. The present invention was made to solve the problems shown above. Thus, the object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can prevent the increase of the air pressure of the space between the printing paper, the fixing member, and the paper separation means.